South Africa's new cricket captain Graeme Smith has launched an extraordinary attack on dumped Proteas all-rounder Lance Klusener, accusing him of ruining teams.

South Africa's new cricket captain Graeme Smith has launched an extraordinary attack on dumped Proteas all-rounder Lance Klusener, accusing him of ruining teams.

Klusener, 32, a veteran of almost 50 Tests and more than 150 one-day internationals, earlier this month was controversially left out of the South Africa squad for the forthcoming tour of England.

Although the once brilliant all-rounder's form has fallen away over the last 18 months, culminating in a forgettable World Cup with the Proteas knocked out in the first round, his sacking was generally seen outside South Africa as a temporary hiatus.

But Smith, at 22 the youngest captain in international cricket, told a breakfast club meeting hosted by the Cape Times newspaper on Monday that Klusener had lost his place because he was not a team player and, indeed, more of a disruption than an asset to any side.

"Lance, as fantastic as he is, can sometimes ruin a team," said Smith. "His ability as a cricketer is very good but his ability as a team man is not very good. He can infect a team and bring down the youth."

Taken aback, Klusener initially attempted to make light of the put-down, dismissing it as the stuff of a television soap opera.

He insisted he was told he had been dropped so that the selectors could try out new blood.

"It's becoming a joke - does anyone really know what's going on out there?" he asked.

"For the current captain to come out with the so-called real reason at a cricketing breakfast is almost laughable.